Sounds fair, as long as everybody knows the system and it works - it's all good!

I really do need to host a "high stakes" tournament - with my Royals set with the high denominations (see Poker Chip Vid 9) - I still haven't done it! If it goes well I will post the structure in a future video.

I did make one of my tables, I do plan to do a table video in the future to talk about all 3 of them. I provide side tables for drinks, there's no place to put the drinks but there except for one table that does have jumbo cupholders - so players don't put drinks on the tables without cupholders, which is good. If someone did I would probably ask them to use the side table, but it wouldn't be a life or death thing for me. Glad you enjoy the videos! There's always lots to learn about poker chips!

Makes sense. These days I prefer 8 players max per table, but I redraw for the final table with 9 players. 10 is just too cramped for my taste.

www.smartsign.com under custom plastic signs. Not cheap, but they work great!

For Hold-Em tournaments we just rotate the deck, I have the players pretty well trained so it's mostly smooth. For mixed game tournaments I get dedicated dealers and give them a discount on entry.

@@johnnyfulton4755 I have very experienced players in my game, so I take it for granted that they are well trained. The subject of my next home poker tournament tutorial will be cards, which ones to get, how to shuffle, and how to get your players on board with a uniform handling of the deck.

This is always a challenge. I offer bonus chips for being on time, 10% of the starting stack. So 2K for a 20 K starting stack. This results in 95% of the players showing up on time. If you don’t want to do that, or if players are still flaky, then yes unfortunately you have to balance as players arrive. It is better to have multiple tables playing shorthanded for a little bit then to have a single table that is full and then have to redraw. So to answer your question, definitely I prefer starting with incomplete tables and then filling them up as people arrive.

@@chrismanzoni3586 got it Chris, thanks!

Hey Kyle, with seating arrangements like this, the first player can always be given a select seat without it affecting the game outcomes. Position is everything, but someone always has to be the first to pick a seat from an empty table (this is assuming he is also redrawing for the button, when he says he gives himself 'seat 1' at the beginning of the video, I'm assuming the red table has a randomly drawn button unlike the other two tables). So he may as well take advantage of this and make sure he still has his watch everything/td seat. The 'first pick' could hypothetically go to anyone at the other tables if the button was also drawn for.

1) host always chooses seat. It’s his home and his table 2) just because the host picks his seat doesn’t mean he chooses who plays before or after him, that is still random. So he doesn’t give himself any positional advantage

@@SethCorbinMusic I didn't mean for it to imply he had some sort of advantage, I agree that the host should have his choice of seat at the start of the tournament so he can keep an eye on things like other tables and what not, but when it comes down to the final table there is no other tables to keep an eye on and if I was the host I would subject myself to the random seating. Just a personal preference.

@@kyleallen6653 but don’t you see, if he chooses the first card AND sits down at the seat he wants, the seating order is still random. But the host still chooses which actual chair and spot he is at

We high card for button, meaning we deal out one card for every player and the high card gets the button.

Yes for sure, I always have two or three racks handy when I break a table. Also have spare racks on side tables for any player that needs to move who has a big stack.

Normand, you didn’t watch the video. Come on man.

That's exactly what this video is about. Lol Why didn't you just watch it?

Ha! Yes indeed!

Hi - sorry for the late response! I do provide snacks and water. Very basic though - Typically a big bag of potato chips, a box of cookies and a big can of mixed nuts with plastic solo bowls so players can pour themselves a portion. Bottled water, I use grocery store brand generic in the small half size bottles - half of the flat left out at room temperature and the other half in a small electric cooler that also has room for plenty of other drinks that players bring themselves. I don't ask for money for snacks, I do leave out a Food Funds jar and players are pretty good about dropping in a dollar or two, but I don't pressure anyone to donate and I don't worry about it. Some nights I'm covered, other nights not so much - but it's my choice to host my friends and provide basic snacks. I likely will share the more specific and mundane details of hosting in a bigger video down the road.

@@chrismanzoni3586 awesome! Thanks for the response. I hosted a poker night with some friends the other day. Do people ever mention the blinds will blind people out?

Got it quite a few years ago from ABC gifts and awards, they no longer make these ceramic buttons unfortunately.

The player who needs to move should go right away. No waiting for a round to finish. If the player moving is in a hand, the table waiting should just go ahead and keep playing short handed. As soon as the moving player is done with the hand, they should move immediately.

@@chrismanzoni3586 Thank for your answer, But if the player to move is playing in the hand, having just taken an action like BET or RAISE, what will be the total Pot and the bets of the other players at that table?

​@@tranthanhphong4203 The player that moves won't jump into a hand that's already being played. The player won't even have any cards to play if he/she got there after the hand already started. The player will wait until the next hand to be dealt cards. The table might even be waiting for the player if he/she is going to be placed in the big blind?

If there is an empty seat between the big and small blind and the cards haven't been dealt, the incoming player sits down and the original big blind takes back his/her big blind and the new arriving player posts the big blind. If the cards have already been dealt and the hand is underway, and there are no other seats available for the incoming player (incoming player should always be in the seat of the next big blind coming or the closest one to a big blind coming) then the incoming player sits and then the hand in progress finishes and then the incoming player has to SIT OUT for the next hand. After this hand the button skips past the new incoming player and lands on the player who was the small blind in the hand that the incoming player had to sit out. Make sense?

@@chrismanzoni3586 thank you for explaining

They do indeed get out of being big blind at the old table that they are leaving, but they will be first to be big blind at the new table most likely. Or they may get a reprieve for a few hands, it happens sometimes.

@@chrismanzoni3586 yeah, they’re still about to pay a big blind at the new table. Chris, my question is, in your example you mentioned that the player would possibly be a couple hands away (on the corner of the table) from the big blind at the new table. Why is that? Why don’t they literally go to the new table and the next available big blind.

@@SethCorbinMusic They should come into the worst seat available, the worst seat that is actually open. They can’t sit or somebody is already sitting, so they are sitting in the empty seat closest to the oncoming big blind. Sometimes they sit down perfectly and are hit with a big blind immediately, other times they have to wait a few hands and even sometimes they just miss it if there’s only one open seat available, and they get almost another full orbit before it’s their turn to post a big blind.

@@chrismanzoni3586 very helpful, thanks for the clarification. Also, I am using your videos (#18 & #19) to help plan a $50 tournament, thanks for your content, I would love to see more. Especially dealing with your tournaments. Take care!

A player or players from other tables would have to be moved, in the order described in the video, to the seat closest to the next big blind. All tables need to be balanced so there’s no more than a one player difference between tables. You may also find yourself in a spot where you lose so many players at the same time that an entire table has to be broken, as described in a video. For this I definitely recommend pausing the clock.

@@chrismanzoni3586 thank you Chris. Your videos have been a very big help. I wish I could play poker with you as a good friend and not as a crazy wannabe pro. No offense meant.

@@johnathonwaggoner358 i’m not sure how to read this without offense.

@@SethCorbinMusic I’m saying that Chris is a good player and I would not mind playing in a Texas Hold’em tournament/cash game against him. I believe he can help me learn from my poker mistake if I made them.

@@johnathonwaggoner358 wow. That’s incredibly offensive Johnathan with an “h”.

Lol wut? Haven’t had a single brawl in almost 15 years of hosting. I don’t tolerate anyone in my garage who would get into a fight over a game.

Are you playing in the Wild West? If you time travel and go play poker, you might see a brawl.

I cover this a bit in my latest video on playing cards - we do not have a paid dealer or a designated dealer in our Hold-Em games. Occasionally we run a mixed games tournament and for that I like to have a designated dealer at the table (who also plays) who knows what they're doing. Typically I discount their tournament entry, and they have to stay and deal even if they bust out, until their table breaks.

How would you do it?

@@Jquack27 Play Blackjack instead, MUCH better…

@@ronodell2896 have you ever played poker before?

@@johnathonwaggoner358 Yes, I prefer Blackjack

@@ronodell2896 You play Blackjack with 36 people?